Floridata Article

Green Gators: There's More to University of Florida
Gators than Just Football

Gators
for a Sustainable Campus meeting on a rainy night.

A few weeks ago, on a rainy evening I traveled to Gainesville to speak to
an action-oriented student group, Gators for a Sustainable Campus. To help
them with their garden plot at the University's community garden, they wanted
me to talk to them about growing vegetables.

I brought my basket of vegetables and my "Edible Garden"
PowerPoint, but I was not expecting much of a turnout because of bad weather-a
tail of tropical storm Ida was raging through the area. But more than 40 students
came, paid attention, and asked great questions. One student even bought a
book for her mother's birthday present. I was impressed.

Gators grow vegetables!

Looking at their last year's carrot harvest, I'd say that they
already know what they are doing in an organic garden. What better way to
be sustainable than to grow your own crops to eat. Sometimes the delicious
vegan snacks served at their meetings are made from their own veggies.

I just love the old bedspring, held aloft with three PVC tubes
and a stick, and used as an arbor in the next plot behind the students. It
made me laugh, because I'm pretty sure I've not slept on such a bedspring
since my own college days so many decades ago and it's certainly an apt symbol
of a "garden bed."

Gators for a Sustainable Campus at a local event.

This group meets twice a month and actively seeks opportunities for outreach
on campus, at events, and in the local community. The students have their
green PowerPoint presentations, banner, brochures, and other educational materials.
They are ready to enthusiastically spread the word whenever and wherever they
can.

While these Gators like football as much as the next student,
they've also seen a green opportunity in the football community. They started
a Tail-Gator Recycling program to provide recycling services for tailgating
parties on and off campus for all home football games. Isn't it great that
all those tailgate beverage containers won't hit the landfills?

These students helped a local elementary school to set up a
better recycling program and to institute a more sustainable lunch program.
This school will now be the model for all of Alachua County's schools.

Gators for a Sustainable Campus pushes students to reduce their
consumption and is the driving force behind University of Florida's participation
in RecycleMania, a nation-wide contest that challenges schools to increase
on-campus recycling.

Gators for a Sustainable Campus is affiliated with the university's
Office of Sustainability and boasts nearly 500 members, but it's not the only
group pushing for more sustainable practices. Sustainability is supported
by at least fifteen student groups across campus, student government, and
student senate. The senate passed a resolution honoring the office and its
commitment to promoting sustainability in 2007. The fraternities and sororities
support sustainability through their Greeks Going Green campaign. The students
passed a Renewable Energy Fee ballot referendum in 2006 with 78% voting in
favor of the $.50/credit hour fee. To date, more than 700 graduating Gators
have signed the Green Graduation Pledge, vowing to take sustainable practices
with them into their careers and communities.

I don't know about you, but meeting these enthusiastic students
and learning about their initiatives, gives me hope for the future. Thanks
to David Eardley and the other students for their green work and their hospitality.
Go Gators!

(Update 2011: This student group does not seem to be active
right now. Maybe the next batch of students will reorganize.)

(Update 2012: Chris Cano, one of the students at this presentation, is now
the CEO (Compost Experience Officer) of Gainesville Compost. Read about him
and his company in my post "The Gainesville community behind Porter's Garden."
How cool is that?)

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